Michigan’s offensive line is headed for a major test in 2026, and Brady Norton looks like one of the players positioned to help answer it.
The Wolverines need the front five to be sturdier next season. That group has taken its share of hits since the Jim Harbaugh era, but the staff now has Jim Harding, one of the best offensive line coaches in the country, working the unit under head coach Kyle Whittingham. There’s real optimism that the line can climb to a level that fits Big Ten play and stacks up against some of the best teams around.
Norton is one of the more interesting pieces in that equation. He’s a redshirt junior in his second season with the program after transferring from Cal Poly, and his route to Michigan has been anything but ordinary.
Coming out of high school, Norton was a three-star prospect and ranked as the No. 329 player in California. He didn’t draw much attention from the major programs, so he landed at FCS Cal Poly.
He redshirted as a freshman, then took over as the starting left tackle as a redshirt freshman in 2024. The production was eye-opening: zero sacks allowed and only three pressures on 444 pass-blocking snaps.
That earned him FCS Football Central All-American honors and put him squarely on the radar once he entered the transfer portal.
Michigan was among the teams that reached out, Ohio State included. According to the source material, the Buckeyes ghosted him until he was on his official visit to Michigan, and that’s when he quickly committed to the Wolverines.
His first season in Ann Arbor didn’t bring a starting job, but he still carved out a role. The redshirt sophomore played in seven games, handled special teams duties, and filled the sixth lineman role.
He also started at right tackle against Texas in the Citrus Bowl, his third start of the season because of injuries. That stretch helped cement his place as part of the line’s future.
The physical growth has been significant, too. Norton arrived at Ann Arbor at 280 pounds, and the spring roster now lists him at 312. At 6-foot-4, that’s a notable change over the course of a year.
Spring reports suggest Norton has shifted inside, while the tackle jobs appear to be up for grabs between Blake Frazier, Andrew Sprague, Andrew Babalola - who is recovering from an ACL tear suffered before the 2025 campaign - and others. That means Norton is in the mix with Nathan Efobi and Evan Link for a starting guard spot.
Assistant offensive line coach Mike Lynch addressed that competition on the In The Trenches Podcast in May.
“(Both Norton and Efobi) did a really good job this spring. They battled through some injuries, and I thought they did a nice job.”
There’s plenty unsettled up front, but the depth on the roster gives Michigan reason to feel better about the group. The bigger goal is clear: get back to controlling the trenches for Bryce Underwood and the stud running backs in the backfield. If that happens, and Norton keeps moving forward, the Wolverines could end up better than expected in 2026.
In Other News...
Michigan Adds Another Young Piece To Its Recruiting Push
Michigan football has added another young staffer to its recruiting operation, bringing in Alec Bailey as a recruiting analyst as the program continues to reinforce that side of the building after a national championship run and a wave of coaching changes. Bailey comes to Ann Arbor after a stop at Southern Methodist University, giving Michigan another person with recent experience in the college recruiting grind.
Bailey confirmed the move on social media and expressed gratitude for the opportunity, a small but telling sign of how quickly the staff is filling out around the edges. The hire also fits Michigans broader push to stay aggressive in talent acquisition, especially as the program keeps shoring up its personnel department with an eye on the next cycle of roster building. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Just Got A Real Reason To Believe In Boynton
Mike Boynton Jr. has spent the early part of Michigans coaching transition doing the most important job an interim can do: keeping the program steady. After Dusty May left for the Dallas Mavericks, Boynton was handed the Wolverines top job on an interim basis, and his first priority has been making sure the roster and the system do not unravel with the change. He has leaned into continuity, aiming to keep Mays offensive and defensive structure largely intact while the team adjusts to a new voice.
The bigger picture, though, is that this is also Boyntons chance to show he should be more than a placeholder. Michigans players have until July 24 before the transfer portal opens, which leaves a tight window to settle the roster and build trust. Boynton has been active in that process, and with key pieces already signaling they intend to stay, the next stretch will go a long way toward determining whether he is simply holding the fort or making a real push to stay in charge. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Recruiting Feels One Elite Finish Away From A Different Verdict
Michigans class has settled into an encouraging place, with 19 commitments and a profile that still sits inside the top 10 on ESPN and top 15 on Rivals. The Wolverines have done plenty of work to get there, too, landing defenders and playmakers such as linebacker Frederrick Ford and running back Tyson Robinson while also flipping Illinois commit Kamden Lopati and bringing along his future target, Quentin Burrell.
Even so, the class still feels like it could be judged differently depending on how the final few swings finish. Michigan has taken some notable misses along the way, and the remaining pursuit list still offers a chance to change the tone of the cycle before the summer window closes, with Dobson among the names still in play. The Wolverines have enough in hand to feel good about the foundation, but one more premium addition would make this haul look a lot closer to finished than merely promising. [Read more 🡒]